BASAVAKALYAN (KARNATAKA): As the dust settled in the ‘rearview mirror’ of Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s convoy leaving the Anubhava Mantapa, a 12th century seat of political and philosophic discussions in the northernmost tip of election-bound Karantaka, Suryakant Hunshetti of Aland taluk, Kalaburagi district, who sweeps the building, looked sombre.

“All these politicians who come here,” he tells ET, “have a self-interest to serve. I also sweep this place because they pay me, not out of love for Basavanna (social reformer-poet-philosopher who rooted for a casteless, gender-equal society). Only people like that Kashmir king (Mahadeva Bhoopla) who gave up everything in the 12th century and came here with just a handful of rice in his palm, have genuine love for Basavanna.”

Electoral "self-interest" politics, such as invoking Basavanna to strike at the BJP’s main votebank of his followers, the Lingayats or picking who would speak at interactions with progressive farmers, businessmen and professionals, were meticulously planned all through Rahul Gandhi’s four-day campaign tour of Congress strong-hold Hyderabad-Karnataka. Congress holds 23 of the 41 seats in the region against the BJP’s 10.

Each place he visited, to pounding drumbeats, local folk dancing on the roads and traditional welcomes, was chosen keeping in mind the maximization of impact, be it combating anti-incumbency for new recruit from JD(S) Iqbal Ansari in Gangavati assembly segment or the photo-op visits to the Lingayat institutions that BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa frequents.

He was certainly over-shadowed by chief minister Siddaramaiah, a far better orator, who generated the maximum applause at all events. But Rahul Gandhi was not intimidated and appears to have largely shed the “pappu” tag. Stauch upper class Lingayats are still derisive, but he is finding traction among other backward castes, Dalits and minorities, besides the occasional urban, educated youths, considered a staunch votebank of Prime Minister Narendra Modi..

Former BJP yuva morcha member Somashekar Nayaka (32) in Hospete and current BJP supporter Lakshman Talwar in Kanakagiri assembly segments told ET: “He (Rahul) has just become visible. He is asking tough questions and not getting answers (from the PM). He should be given a chance.”

The Rahul Gandhi who toured Karnataka in 2008, ahead of the state assembly elections then, which went in favour of the BJP, is a visibly different person from the one touring Hyderabad-Karnataka now. That Rahul, who visited Basavanna’s enlightenment spot of Kudalasangama and the Ranganatha shrine at the tribal belt of Biligiriranganabetta, was shy, self-effacing and stumbling to connect with the people. So much so that young tribal girls were charmed and emboldened to be curious about his marital status.

The Rahul of 2013 strides assuredly into temples, bows to tilak-bestowing priests, takes prasad from them, wears his pocket handkerchief on his head and enters dargas, places chaders, puts his arm around religious heads and tells them he wants equality and democracy for all. He addresses rallies in aggressive Hindi, praises his CM in Karnataka,compares Modi unfavourably to him and states with self-confidence: “He (Siddaramaiah) will answer all administrative questions, it is not my place to do so.”

He came up with the “rear-view mirror driving” tag for the PM, a punchline greeted with the same amusement and cheers that “suit-boot sarkar” generated. Every rally he addressed, including a tribal one, he asked: “Modiji promised you Rs 15 lakh in your accounts. Has he put even Rs 10?” and the crowds waved their hands, clapped and yelled loud “No!”s.

Through his tour, every statement and video put out by the Congress, besides several ones from the public, have been retweeted, WhatsApped and Facebooked by the BJP. Yeddyurappa, union ministers D V Sadananda Gowda, Prakash Javdekar, MPs Prathap Simha and Shobha Karandlaje have been in the forefront, calling Rahul #ElectionHindu and accusing him of eating non-veg before entering places of worship.

“They have done our job for us by spreading Rahulji’s messages far and wide,” one of Rahul’s inner circle told ET with a laugh. The BJP effort, however, has had impact in lessening the damage to the Centre and reinforcing the old “pappu” image among some.

Several of the youth in the rallies listened to Rahul with disbelief and stated, firmly: “We will still vote for Modiji.” There was an attempt by some Dalits showing black flags in two places, to bring Rahul’s attention to the issue of internal reservation, pending with the state government. At many places, youngsters and bystanders were disappointed that Rahul did not wave to them or respond to their shouts.

Rahul displayed several tricks of the trade during the tour. At Hospete, he referred to his mother Sonia Gandhi’s election in 1998 from Ballari, the Lok Sabha constituency under which this assembly segment falls. “You people sent my mother to Parliament, it is an emotional connect, a debt that I will never forget all my life.” At Jewargi, he invoked the late former CM N Dharam Singh, a well-loved leader who represented this assembly segment for four decades. “He, along with (Congress floor leader in Lok Sabha) Mallikarjun Kharge got huge funds, employment and jobs for your region. We promised to bring your districts under section 371(J) (backward region). The BJP said it was not possible. We kept our word,” he said as the huge crowd cheered.

He told the farmers rally at Sindhanoor: “When we come back to power, we will take up your causes from our heart.” At Kuknoor, in Yelburga assembly segment, he added humour: “Modiji promised you all jobs. But the first thing he did after being elected was give a broom to the hands of every citizen in the country (reference to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan), while he went off to America.”

Some of these lines have resonated. “Modiji promised us jobs. But what we got was demonetisation, which has wiped out all the cash in the homes of the poor,” said Raja Yati (28) in Gangavati. “We don’t know Rahul Gandhi, we don’t like the Congress candidate here. But we will vote because we believe in Siddaramaiah and because Modiji didn’t keep his word.”

Hyderabad-Karnataka, however, still largely reveres the Gandhi family, a barrier that the BJP is trying hard to breach. Hanumantamma (70), sitting with her relative Rajamma (60) in a poky little house in the poor section of Kanakagiri town, will get up with difficulty and shuffle to the main road to see Rahul’s convoy go by, because: “I have seen his grandmother (Indira and I want to see her grandson. I want to bless him as I have hope and belief he will do good for the country.”